UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION 



TX 357 
.U6 
1918c 
Copy 1 




OUTLINE FOR 

POTATO CAMPAIGN 



SUGGESTIONS FOR STIMULATING IMMEDIATELY A LARGER USE OF 
POTATOES, ACTUALLY INCREASING OUR FOOD RESOURCES 



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This campaign is to be conducted under the general 
direction of the Federal Food Administrator and 
the Home Economics Director, with the cooperation 
of newspapers, retail stores, women's clubs, schools, 
churches, commercial bodies, theaters, and speakers. 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNxMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1918 



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A POTATO CAMPAIGN. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR STIMULATING IMMEDIATELY A LARGER 
USE OF POTATOES. 

Agencies through which to work: 
Newspapers. 
Retail grocers. 
Department stores. 
Women's organizations. 
Schools. 

Hotels, lunch rooms, and clubs. 
Libraries. 

Motion-picture houses and theatres. 
Churches. 
Street railways. 
Chambers of commerce. 
Four minute men. 

The Home Economics director or the conservation agent in charge 
of the plan should have a corps of volunteer workers organized into 
the following committees: 

Exhibits. 

Demonstrations and subject matter. 

Publicity. 

Posters. 

• Schools and churches. 

Groceries and department stores. 

Public agencies (hotels, lunch rooms, libraries, motion-pic- 
ture houses, etc.) 

(These committees could be grouped or subdivided according to 
the size of the town or the activities planned.) 

PUBLICITY. 

All-round cooperation is necessary to make this campaign a suc- 
cess. 
The cooperation of the newspapers is one of the first essentials. 

53421°— 18 (3) 



The editor of your home paper has publicity material sent him 
from the oiRce of the Edvicational Director of the Food Administra- 
tion for your state. He will give it space very willingly if he knows 
that you are prepared to carry out the local campaign. That makes 
the publicity material live local news. 

You should keep the editor infonned of your program and give 
him every opportunity to adapt the general material to the local 

situation. 

RETAIL GROCERS. 

There is usually an association of retail grocers in the larger towns 
and cities, and the quickest means of approach to the individual 
grocer would be through this central body. There is a State merchant 
representative on the staff of every Federal Food Administrator, who 
can be called on for advice and assistance in this direction. 

Ask every grocer to feature potatoes in his show window, with 
signs urging patrons to buy potatoes and calling attention to the 
price. The larger stores might have special exhibits worked out to 
call attention to potatoes and demonstrations in the store showing 
new uses of potatoes with copies of potato recipes to be taken home 
by patrons. 

Grocers who advertise should be asked to mention the potato pro- 
gram in their advertisements. 

Get the large department stores to have exhibitions in their show 
windows and arouse competition among them for the most attractive 
presentation. 

Get those stores which have grocery departments to have demon- 
strations throughout the week on potato dishes, with printed recipes 
for distribution to patrons. 

Also ask them to feature the potato program in their newspaper 
advertising, whether or not they have grocery departments. 

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 

The Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade or Business Men's 
Association in each community is usually a valuable organization to 
have cooperate in the campaign. Through such an organization the 
help of the grocers may be obtained, and if it is an active body there 
.are many ways in which it can strengthen the campaign and further 
the drive. 

This chamber or board may have already established curb markets 
where farmers can bring potatoes and sell directly to the consumer. 
The Home Economics Director can ask her local committee to inform 
housekeepers of these markets. If there are such markets, tell about 
them in announcing the campaign, and get the club women and all 
others who can be reached to carry market baskets when they patron- 
ize the markets. 



WAYS TO ADVERTISE. 

The Advertising Men's League, or individual advertising men can 
lielp with suggestions and lend their influence in opening up avenues 
of publicity. The window dressers of the big stores are excellent ad- 
visers on exhibits. Boy scouts are good helpers if there are handbills 
to be distributed. 

The street car companies can be asked to give space for swinging 
cards advertising potato week. The printing of these is an incon- 
siderable item, but the space in the cars is fairly expensive, varying 
according to the size of the city. No better means of reaching large 
groups of people can be found, however. 

SCHOOLS. 

Have potatoes used in the school lunches. Get the teachers to write 
recipes on the blackboard, asking children to copy them and take 
them home. These recipes should be furnished to the schools by the 
committee. Ask the teachers of Domestic Science to teach the mak- 
ing of potato dishes. 

Start a potato essay contest, a small prize to be awarded and the 
best essay to be published in the newspapers. 

Introduce the subject of potatoes into classes. A history of the 
potato industry followed by study of distribution and output; a 
study of soils suited to potatoes; varieties; tests of cooking qualities; 
principles of heat in cooking potatoes. The teacher can secure 
assistance from a farmer who has studied agriculture. She may con- 
sult the Chamber of Commerce or the farm bureau manager for facts 
regarding distribution. The children should go home enthusiastic 
about the potato situation and arouse the interest of the rest of the 
family. They will more readily agree to the potato program in 
the diet. 

By all means secure the cooperation of the departments of Home 
Economics in the schools of your territory. 

CHURCHES. 

Get ministers to make an announcement of the potato campaign 
from the pulpit, with a few words indorsing it as a patriotic effort. 
Churches or individual societies of churches might be induced to give 
potato suppers. Eecipes for these should be furnished by the Home 
Economics director. Ask the church papers to feature the potato 
campaign. 

WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS. 

Get each club or organization to agree to have a brief presentation 
of the potato situation with a patriotic appeal to use potatoes. Stim- 
ulate members to make potato dishes and bring them to a meeting of 



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tlic organization for an exhibition, together with the recipe. Have 
copies of potato recipes made for distribution at these meetings. Ask 
the president of the State Federation of Chibs to request the special 
potato program. 

Get members to i:)ledge themselves to Iia^e two potato meals a day 
and to use potatoes so far as possible in place of bread. 

LIBRARIES. 

Ask libraries to post on their bulletin boards a notice calling atten- 
tion to the Potato Campaign and to place conspicuously' available lit- 
erature on potatoes to attract attention. 

If possible libraries should secure for distribution the following- 
free publications: 

" Use Potatoes to Save Wheat "' (S. Pv. S. Circular No. 106, United 
States Department of Agriculture.) 

"Plenty of Potatoes" (U. S. Food Administration Leaflet No. 10, 
United States Department of Agriculture and United States Food 
Administration. ) 

" Potatoes — An Ample Supply of Potatoes Needed " (United States 
Department of Agriculture Circular No. 92.) 

Ask your State College to give you the names of publications of 
your State on the subject of potatoes. 

Ask the storj^-tellers in libraries to tell stories of the potato. Send 
them a copy of " The Little Brown Prince." 

The Library Section of the United States Food Administration at 
Wasliington can also be called on for assistance in providing practical 
suggestions for enlisting the librarians. 

HOTELS, LUNCH ROOMS, AND CLUBS. 

Ask the cooperation of the man in your state in charge of conserva- 
tion in hotels and restaurants. He may ask proprietors of hotels, 
lunch rooms, and clubs to carry a line each day during the week on 
their menus calling the attention of patrons to the use of potatoes ; to 
feature potato dishes at low prices and to give potatoes with meat 
orders instead of giving bread, so that potatoes will be used and wheat 
conserved, and to star all potato dishes. 

Ask him to have the large lunch rooms, which have exhibit win- 
dows, place heaps of potatoes in their windows and i^aste signs tm the 
glass calling attention to special potato dishes or to the serving of 
potatoes with other orders. Furnish them with slogans for this pur- 
pose. 

MOTION-PICTURE HOUSES AND THEATRES. 

Get motion-picture houses and regular theatres to run a conspicu- 
ously boxed announcement regarding potatoes in their program. 



Have slogans throATn on the screen between pictures — or streamers, 
if there is enough money to afford them. If nothing better can be 
accomplished than a Avritten announcement on the screen, use that. 

Have posters pLaced in the lobbies of the theatres, or have some one 
hold a standard poster or wear a sandwich sign calling attention to 
the use of potatoes. Representatives of the motion-picture industry 
who are assisting the Federal Food Administrators can be called on 
for much help. 

Gain the cooperation of the Four Minute Men in speaking on the 
potato situation. Talking points should be furnished to speakers 
from the material sent you, and you may secure more locally. 

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. Index No. E-30. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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